CHAPTER 1 — The Puppy the Wolves Chose
Nobody knew why the tiny white puppy had wandered so far from the farmhouse.
He couldn't have been more than eight weeks old.
His paws sank into the fresh snow with every trembling step, leaving behind a trail that looked painfully easy to follow.
Unfortunately...
He wasn't the only one watching those tracks.
Hidden among the frozen trees, six gray wolves silently emerged from the shadows.
Their yellow eyes never blinked.
Their breaths formed white clouds as they spread into a perfect hunting circle.
The puppy froze.
His tiny body shook uncontrollably.
He tried to bark...
Only a weak squeak escaped.
The wolves came closer.
One lowered its head.
Another licked blood from an old scar on its muzzle.
The leader took one slow step forward...
Then another.
Death was only seconds away.
But suddenly—
A shadow larger than any wolf stepped between them.
The ground itself seemed to shake.
Standing over the tiny puppy was a gigantic black guardian dog.
His thick mane rippled in the icy wind.
His chest was broader than a bear's.
His eyes never left the wolves.
He didn't bark.
He didn't growl.
He simply stood there...
Like a mountain refusing to move.
For the first time that winter...
The wolves hesitated.
They had hunted deer.
They had chased elk.
They had even fought bears.
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But none of them wanted to be the first wolf to attack...
Him.
